Guarding Kelsey ((Books We Love Romantic Suspense)) (27 page)

However, if her current situation was somehow related to her father’s death
.
. The situation was too ghastly to consider, but she had to know.

Richie
followed her into the living room. He sat perched on the edge of the wing chai
r.
“You look like shit
, Kelsey.”

“Thanks.”
She shrugged and sat in the couch across from him with her legs tucked beneath her.
She could well imagine that she was a frightful sight.
Red nose, puffy eyes, tear streaked face.
Wolf Krieger brought out the worst in her.
He had also brought out the best
in
her, and that was the hard part to get over.

“I’ve been thinking about my father.
Missing him
.
.”

Richie said nothing.
What did she expect? He hadn’t been to the apartment since her father died. He probably wouldn’t have come today if his fat
her hadn’t sent him. Her cousin
preferred to wait until she came to visit to hit her up for money.

She brushed a handful of hair away from her face. “What was he doing out at the cabin that night?”

He shook his h
ead.
“
He didn’t confide in me.
What’s the difference now? It won’t change anything
.”

Her body ached with fatigue.
Her mind raced with unanswered questions.
Questions that had never occurred to her until she saw the report.
“I know, but I can’t
help but wonder
why didn’t the other driver stop or call for help?
He might have lived if help had arrived sooner.”

“How would I know?”
Richie
shifted uncom
fortably. He obviously didn’t want to talk about it
.
“Dad said you’re selling the business. Is it true
?”

Swallowing hard, she met his gaze.
“Yes.
I’ve decided to sell and turn over the bulk of the money to father’s foundation.
I’m going to set up an appointment w
ith the lawyer this week
.”
She tried
to read h
is reaction, but he just
fidgeted
like he wanted to leave. Did she really expect him to show any kin
d of emotion? He
had made a very short visit for the funeral and walked out of the reading of the will.

She got the papers for
Richie and showed him to the door.
Once
he
left, Wolf returned to the room.

He didn’t say anything but she knew he heard the conversation
via the intercom.
She shot
an
I told you so
glance but he merely shrugged.
He wasn’t suspicious, he was cynical.

And so damn gorgeous that it hurt to look at him.

He cupped his hand over her shoulder tentatively as if he expected her to push him away.
She didn’t want to be angry anymore.
Her life had been filled with too many negative emotions lately.
She didn’t have to agree with him.
For good or bad, he was acting on her behalf.
And she loved him.
That wasn’t going to change, no matter what he did.

* * *

Wolf hung out in the kitchen while Kelsey finished up with her phone call.
The third in less than a
n hour.
Her
other
devoted family members were
all quick to check in with her now that they thought her police protection was gone.
In Wolf’s experience, people who avoided cops usually had something to hide.
Not that he had gone out of his way to make a good impression on her family.

Ten minutes later Kelsey joined him.
Her mood seemed lighter.
She even smiled.

“Do you want to get something to eat?” he asked.

“I’ve got food in the refrigerator,” she said as she reached for the handle.

He caught her by the belt loop and pulled her to him. Her arms locked around his waist, and she didn’t pull away after she got her balance.
“I meant, would you like to go somewhere for dinner?”

He figured she would refuse.
Surprisingly, she said, “Yes.
The Golden Arches.”

“I think I can spring for something more.”

“I like McDonalds. Either that, or sushi.”

The woman had an obsession with raw foods. However, she was in his arms, without squirming or cringing. He wasn’t going to push his luck by fighting over where they would eat.
“Whatever you want.”

An hour later they ended up in a small Mexican restaurant that Martinez recommended when he dropped off the phone records on his way home from work.
Candle-lit booths were roomy and private.
The atmosphere was more intimate than a fast food place and gave them the opportunity to talk without yelling above a crowd.

Kelsey dipped a tortilla in a spicy salsa and popped in her mouth.
Her eyes grew wide and filled with moisture but she went right back for the hot sauce again.
“What if nothing breaks in this case,
Wolf?
You can’t take a vacation indefinitely.”

“It will all be over soon.”
Of that he was certain.
Once Kelsey signed the papers that linked the business money to the charitable foundation instead of her, she no longer had anything worth dying for.
All he had to do was make sure she was safe until her meeting with her father’s lawyer.

“And then what?” she asked pointedly.

“You get your life back.”

“Hurray.”
Although she spoke the words with enthusiasm, she looked anything but happy.
“So, what are those papers Martinez gave
you?
”

“Nothing important.”

She stroked her shoeless foot against his leg.
The jolt to his system was immediate and acute.

“Don’t lie, Wolf.
Tell me you can’t answer, but don’t lie.
If your partner made a special stop on his way home, then it’s something you asked for.”

He tipped his head.
“It’s your father’s phone records from the last few days before the accident.”

Her chest rose and fell and she took in a calming breath.
Trying to look braver than he knew she must be, she held out her hand and said, “So, let’s see it.”

“Not here.”
Her mood had been upbeat until now.
For a little while longer, he wanted the light to remain in her eyes. “When we get back to the condo.”

“So we sit here eating dinner as if nothing happened?” she asked incredulously.

“Nothing did happen.
Whatever is in that report, will still be there in an hour.”

“Dammit, Wolf, does nothing come before your stomach?”

Off the top of his head, he would say she came before anything in his mind or his heart.
He couldn’t afford to let the emotions get in the way of the case. “Not much.”

She smiled.
“Are you trying to be
charming?
”

“No.”

“Good.
Because you’re not.”
She picked at the food on her place half-heartedly.

“Come on.
Eat up.
A couple of nice jalapeno peppers will clear your thought.”

“And my sinuses.”

Since Wolf had won the battle, Kelsey had decided to make him pay.
For a woman who had admittedly avoided men she knew how to get their attention.
There was something inherently sexy about eating with fingers instead of utensil.
Maybe it was the way she drew attention to her mouth.
Or the way the pink tip of her tongue grazed her fingertips.
No, it was the soft moan that followed as she savored the food.
His button fly jeans had become damned uncomfortable.
He wouldn’t be able to stay through desert without taking her right there in the booth.

He raised his hand to get the waitress’s attention. “Check, please.”

“Was it something I said?” she asked innocently, but there was nothing innocent about that glint in her eye.

On the short walk back to the condo a comfortable silence settled between them. With Kelsey walking
alongside
him, her arm slung across his waist, he felt connected to her in a way he’d never felt with another person.
How was he going to walk away when it was all over?
How could he not?
Kelsey didn’t know what she wanted.
Not in the long run.
She didn’t have a clue what it meant to be involved with a cop and he already knew that the uptown crowd wasn’t his thing.
Unfortunately, the middle point between their two worlds was the East River.

Once they were inside again, he couldn’t avoid the inevitable. He waited for her in the kitchen while she changed from her street clothes.
When she didn’t return in ten minutes, he went after her. He found her in her bedroom, relaxing in a pile of white lace pillows.
She was wearing plaid boxer shorts and a
tee shirt
that he was sure belonged to him. Somehow she had managed to make the outfit look thoroughly sexy.

“Do you want to sleep?” he asked.

“No.
I just want to be comfortable.”
She patted the mattress next to her.
“Enough stalling.
Let’s get to work.”

As if he would be able to concentrate in her working conditions.
“Do you think you could change into something
.
.less
.
. more
.
. it’s November for
god sake
, put something warmer on.
And then meet me in the kitchen.”

“Don’t be getting all macho on me, Krieger.”

Did she know what she was doing to him?
He would bet his eyeteeth she did and she enjoyed the sensual torment she inflicted on him.
How the hell was he
supposed to
stay focused on the case with so many sexy
distractions?
“This is a police investigation not a pajama party.”

“I’m aware of that.”